The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-11-17
STATUE OF LIBERTY.
TIE GODDESS VISITORS NOT so
NUMEROUS AS THEY WERE.

TIE GODDESS VISITORS NOT so
NUMEROUS AS THEY WERE.
Bartholdi's Work Falling More and More
into Conventional Harbor Land-
mark-Yisitors from the Country-A
Commanding Outlook-Statuettes.
Few big undertakings arc whole years
wonder, and it is only natural that the
Statue Of Liberty should be falling more
and more into conventional harbor land
mark. Such in fact, it is; and though
the boats still run down from the Barge
office daily with n fair sprinkling Of sighte
seers, one can feel that Bartholdi's work
has lost its freshness for all but a few
strangers and enthusiasts. The sail these
hot days is pleasant one, and the air Mt
the island is cool and salty. That tho
statue is there is something, but not all
that it used to be.
Things on the island look much rs they
did the day after the unveiling. Tho
same rough wooden stairs lead up from
the same useless six gun battery frowns.
Across the narrow intcrspacc are the old
star shaped granite walls of Fort Wood,
with their curious winding sallyports.
They will be hidden some day by the big
ambanllment which is to slope from the
sen wall up to the statues base. There
are no signs of such terrace work now,
and the walls stand out rs bald and dull
rs ever against the lighter, polished granite
of the pedestal. Even the wooden plat
form is still standing under the south face
of the pedestal, from which tho unlucky
orators faced the mist and rain oil the day
of the unveiling and struggled ng;,inst the
whistles of the fleet of tugs. The same
narrow wooden staircase runs mp to the
doorway of the pedestal. There is no
elevator inside. The stone steps arc hard
to climb, and one Gun get no further than
the goddess heel without permit from
the American committee. The American
committee, it turns out, is still in charge
Of the statue, though the government
nominally owns it. A good deal of brac-
ing hos to be done yet inside the big
figure; and the tcrracing outside, for
which the committee is responsible, has
not even been begun. No money is OH
hand, and there is little chance of raising
any.
One misses the crowds, Of course, that
used to struggle down to the island on
the overloaded steamboats, last fall, and
the hustle of the workmen hammering
AWAY high up on the head and shoulders
of the big, unfinished goddess. The last
bolt was driven and the last rivet placed
til MI O,o
nowadays on the quiet island is the morn
ing bugle Of the little squad of infantry
that garrisons it. The artillerymen from
the harbor forts found life too dull and
lonely under the shadow of the big beacon,
and less favored company of infantry
was brought down from Sacketts Harbor
to relieve them. There is guard, as
usual, on the pier; another at the base Of
the statue; another at the base of the big
bronze figure itself.
FROM TIE COUNTRY.
Most of the visitors to Bedloe's Island
nowadays are people from the country
stopping over for day or two in New
York. What they don't know about the
harbor from the guide books is scarcely
worth knowing, and the talk they hazard
from the deck of the steamer rs it leaves
the barge office is often most refreshing
1T guess that be Staten Island," said
hayseedy looking old gentleman the other
day to his wide mouthed family of six.
sSir Rastus Wymen or some such noble
man owns the hull OF it.
can mcbbe that's one Of them towers
of Babylun that we hearn Cousin Jimmy
a-talkin' about" he continued, jerking
his finger ut Castle William. "Wall,
never. 1 don't see no Brooklyn bridge
down here, though it oughter be pretty
near in front of us. That's the East river
what runs west, really, jus rs the North
river runs south. Blamed eff kin tangle
her out right. l see the Goddess Of Lib
erty plain ennuf, and them's the Narrows
what's behind her, where you see the
smoke a-hangin'. Must be Coney Island
there with the hills onto 1t. But l don't
seem to find that Brooklyn bridge, no
how"
The old man gazed carefully again
around the horizon. His idea of bridge
was sort OF a pontoon with draw. He
fell on the real bridge at last from the pier
Mt Bedloe's Island-a fine, gauzy net
work, showing against the black roofs
md spires and the sky beyond. He didn't
say word, but stared Mt it blnnkly for
five minutes, and then for five minutes
more at the goddess; and the people of
Wayback will hardly be able to tell next
winter which Of the two is the greatest OF
the modern seven wonders.
A COMMANDING OUTLOOK.
No visit to the island is complete with
out look through the parade ground,
from the middle of which the statue rises,
and q climb to the galleries of the pedes-
tai with their commanding outlook on tho
harbor and its pretty setting of hills,
spires, towers and black, dense patches of
cities. The pedestal is open all the way
up, though the copper figure itself is
barred against the unfavored. 1t is long
journey TO the top, however, and the pros
pect is scarcely tempting Oh hot day to
the unenthusiastic. The men are gem
orally matter of fact enough to be satisfied
with the view below. The young women,
especially those from the country 'doing"
the sights of New York, are more ambi-
tious.
The country people are the best custo-
mers. too, of the girl who sells statuettcs,
medals and memorial volumes on the
steamer. Most of the stutuettes have
been on the market good while. There
are some new ones, however, representing
Liberty astride of the North Pole
of colored globe, with the continents
and oceans all neatly laid out in red and
blue and yellow. The Bartholdi medals
have head stamped on the face, which
might be taken equally we'll for Julius
Cesar, Alexander the Great, George
Washington or Louis Napoleon. 1tpasses
we'll enough, however, with those who
have never seen the French SCULPTOR
New York Tribune.